Loughner had restless night before attack, report shows

Less than 11 hours before the Tucson-area shooting a week ago, suspect Jared Loughner stopped at two stores and then checked into a Motel 6 about a 2-mile drive from his home.

Those actions, authorities say, were the first known steps in his all-night preparations to target U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for assassination.

Using the motel as a base, he moved back and forth across the northwest side of town all night. He bounced among convenience stores, gas stations and drugstores before heading to two Walmart stores to buy ammunition, according to a timeline released Friday by the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

Loughner's actions may become key in court. Prosecutors will likely use them to depict a preplanned mass murder, while defense lawyers may argue his actions were those of a mentally ill man. The timeline is not complete - there are two-hour gaps - but it makes Loughner's actions appear systematic and deliberate.

By Friday night, Jan. 7, Loughner had already grown into an increasingly isolated and troubled man. For years he'd been vexed by squabbles with his father, difficulties holding jobs and, in late September, suspension from a community college. He had become convinced the government was trying to brainwash society with grammar, his posts on websites show. He lived increasingly in a fractured, alternate world of what he called "conscience dreaming."

At 4:12 a.m. Saturday, he went public on his MySpace page with dark intentions: "Goodbye, friends. Dear friends, please don't be mad at me."

It's unknown when Loughner began roaming Friday night. The timeline shows he went to a Walgreens on Ina Road at 11:35 p.m. to drop off a roll of 35mm film. An hour later, he was in a Circle K 10 blocks away, buying unknown items. Loughner then checked into the nearby Motel 6, apparently to wait for his photos.

Around 2 a.m., he called his friend Bryce Tierney but didn't say anything about his intentions, Tierney is heard saying on 911 tapes after the tragedy. Loughner then returned to Walgreens to pick up the photos.

At nearly half past 2, Loughner bought more items at a Chevron on Hartman Lane. He flipped through the photos and found one he liked.

Where Loughner was when he posted on MySpace almost two hours later is unclear. He selected two photos: a self-portrait and a carefully composed picture of a semiautomatic pistol resting on a U.S. history textbook and an image of the White House.The gun appears to be a 9mm Glock, the same type of handgun later used to kill six people and wound 13, including Giffords, at a Safeway store north of Tucson.

Two hours later, he sought ammunition. He headed to a Walmart at Foothills Mall.

Initial reports after the attack suggested he had tried unsuccessfully to buy ammunition at one Walmart before trying again at another. Walmart officials confirmed that Loughner bought ammo but not where. They said they don't put ammunition on sale until after 7 a.m.

Loughner picked up more unknown items at a Circle K and returned to the Walmart. Investigators said he attempted to buy ammunition at 7:04 a.m. but became nervous and left.

Loughner headed to another Walmart on Cortaro Road in Marana; within half an hour, he had bought ammunition and a black diaper bag with shoulder straps.

Investigators would later report finding such a bag near Loughner's home and said it contained several boxes of 9mm ammunition and other Walmart merchandise.

Shortly after he left the Marana store, authorities said, an Arizona Game and Fish Department officer pulled Loughner over for running a red light in his 1969 Chevrolet Nova. Authorities said that Loughner was polite and that they had no reason to search his car.

About half an hour later, Loughner pulled a black bag out of the Nova, which he'd parked at the family home, his father, Randy Loughner, would later tell investigators. When Randy confronted Jared, the son muttered and disappeared into the desert.

At 9:41 a.m., a cab picked Jared Loughner up at Circle K a mile away. They arrived at Safeway on Ina and Oracle roads at 9:54 a.m., six minutes before Giffords was to start her "Congress on Your Corner," an event she had announced on her website the day before.

The pair went inside, and Loughner got change for a $20 bill to pay the $14 fare.

The cabdriver left, and minutes later, Loughner strode up to the line of people waiting to meet Giffords. He was wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt and hat. He asked calmly if Giffords was present. Then, he walked away.

At 10:10 a.m., a burst of popping rang out. Giffords was shot through the head, and others fell around her.

Five minutes later, Loughner had been tackled by witnesses, and sheriff's deputies had bundled him into a squad car.

Loughner ranted about his constitutional rights. He was loud and agitated.

As deputies booked him into custody, they captured a wild-eyed and smirking image of a man whose behavior had grown more unstable in recent months. Loughner told them he had a right to an attorney.